


A Vigilante Holiday Tradition

by Flarrow



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Green Arrow - All Media Types, The Flash (TV 2014), The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Corny, Established Relationship, Fluff, Holidays, M/M, Minor Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-09 22:49:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5558516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flarrow/pseuds/Flarrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's unreasonable to expect a normal celebration of the holidays when your parents just happen to be a pair of seasoned vigilantes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Vigilante Holiday Tradition

**Author's Note:**

> I saw so many sweet Flarrow moments during the two crossover specials that I was squealing and rolling around all over the place! I was even more excited to see that a lot of elements of each episode strengthened where I've been trying to lead my longer fics anyway, not to mention provide me with more source material I can incorporate in the stories, so that was absolutely wonderful. (Now, if only I could just write faster…!!)
> 
> Part of me wanted to write something just to complete it (since I've been doing a shitastic job of doing that lately, even on my old name), and another part wanted to write something holiday-themed. Both helped inspire this story.
> 
> Also, I just want to take this moment and announce that I have opened up an ask box on Tumblr, which is open to anonymous questions, prompts, fic requests, etc. I also have a Twitter where I plan on live-tweeting episodes and giving general updates on my fic progress, so I can interact with readers. (Tweeting will commence as soon as Legends of Tomorrow and the second halves of Flash and Arrow kick off.) My tweets will be protected though, so if you want to follow me there, either send me a DM on Twitter letting me know you're from AO3, leave a comment on any of my stories with your Twitter handle, or let me know what your Twitter handle is on my Tumblr ask box. I launched on both platforms just because I want to keep in touch with any interested followers of my stories.
> 
> Tumblr is [here](http://flarrowfics.tumblr.com/ask/), and Twitter is [here](http://twitter.com/flarrowfics/). 
> 
> And that's it for the rambling! Hope you all enjoy the story!

Daniel Allen-Queen, known as Danny by some, couldn't exactly pinpoint when he first came to realize his parents were The Flash and Green Arrow, but looking back on all his childhood memories, he supposed that there were plenty of opportunities where he could have guessed. Of course, it was much easier to say that now, seeing as how he was older and more experienced in the art of reading between the lines.

The earliest of these, and perhaps his most cherished youthful memory, was from a day very much like this one, when he was about four or five years old. That day, he and his parents had also been going to Central City Plaza, to watch the very first holiday lighting event of a statue honoring The Flash.

Back then, the dynamic between his parents wasn't very different than how it was now; the pair always seemed to be arguing about _something_. There was never any real heat behind it, of course. At least, not when it came to the more traditionally domestic arguments, like whose turn it was to wash the dishes or take out the trash. The tone was more like fond exasperation than anything else. That particular day, though, perhaps it had been a little bit more than that.

»»---------------»»

Barry was excited; apparently he'd been looking forward to the day when he thought that their son, now five years of age, was finally old enough to go to a crowded event. To say that Oliver was not amused by this plan was an incredible understatement. The older man had been very tense and constantly glancing around. At some point, Barry frowned.

“Ollie. _Come on_ ,” Barry said. “Will you stop acting like something is going to jump out of the shadows and just relax? Everything's going to be fine.”

“There's too many people here, Barry,” Oliver muttered grumpily while shaking his head. “I don't like it.”

To be fair, Oliver did have reason to worry, not that Barry would ever concede to that point out loud. Every time the holidays rolled around, it seemed, some disaster or another would crop up. One particularly memorable holiday season involved the Trickster, Mardon, and one Leonard Snart, who was the only one who acted out of character. Also around that same time Teams Flash and Arrow had dealt with yet another supposedly immortal being, along with an annoying half-relative who had taken up the mantle as the new frontman for the League of Assassins—both elements coming together to cause everyone but Barry to die, and ultimately pressuring the speedster to rework time so that they could all avoid said doomed fate. So yes, Oliver had every reason to be stressed and unamused by their family venture into the unknown.

Still, ever the optimist, Barry grinned. “Loosen up, Ollie. Stop being so paranoid.”

Before the older man could respond, their son had taken that moment to conveniently interject. “Daddy, it's Fwash!”

Daniel's little mittened hand was waving enthusiastically upward, in the direction of the large golden statue. Barry chuckled as he looked down and smiled at the little bundle tucked safely in Oliver's arms, of course, at the older man's insistence.

“That's right!” he said with the appropriate level of parental enthusiasm and eyebrows raised. “That's The Flash!”

“Oh brother...” Oliver muttered, though his expression was fond.

“ _Fwash!_ ” Daniel repeated with excitement.

“Yeah!” Barry said, and if it was possible, his megawatt grin grew wider. “We're going to see them light it!”

“See them wight it!” Daniel echoed cheerily, attempting to flail in his father's arms.

“All right, all right…! Calm down now, you two,” Oliver said, giving Barry a half-hearted reprimanding look. “Come on, Barr. I can't babysit you both, okay? I've got my hands full.”

“Whatever, Oll,” Barry said, as he stuck his tongue out playfully at his husband. “You're no fun.”

Just then, a jovial voice came through several loudspeakers. _“Ladies and gentlemen!”_ the voice boomed. _“Welcome to the first annual holiday lighting ceremony in honor of Central City's hero, The Flash!”_

Noises of approval rumbled throughout the crowd. Oliver, it seemed, was the only one who appeared tense. The Vigilante's eyes were slightly narrowed as he scanned the area while holding his son closer to his chest; the little boy's head tucked under his father's. Barry observed this and let out a soft sigh; half exasperated, and half fond. He tucked his gloved hands into the pockets of his thick winter coat, shrugging his shoulders a bit to try and get the scarf he was wearing to cover the lower half of his face.

It took some time—a few community acts and a local band—but as time ticked by without incident, Barry noticed that his husband was beginning to visibly relax. As the band played their finale number, Oliver even started to sway a bit with the music and bounce their son gently in his arms. Barry smiled as he watched Oliver point to the stage and say a few things in their son's ear. Daniel was laughing and patting his hands along in time with the music; one hand against his father's arm and the other on Oliver's cheek. Barry chuckled at the sight.

Right then, of course, was when it all went to shit. The minute the music abruptly stopped, the street lights cut out, and when the fireworks show didn't start, Barry inwardly groaned. He knew he wasn't going to hear the end of it from Oliver later.

Barry heard their son's voice clearly, even above the confused murmurings of the members of the crowd surrounding them. “Daddy, why's it dark?”

Before Barry could reply, an insane cackling could be heard, and all eyes were soon on the spotlight that appeared on the face of The Flash's statue. There, hanging onto an ear was a man in a ridiculous outfit and disheveled green hair.

“Dammit...” Barry heard Oliver mutter beside him.

Barry moistened his lips. “So...is it just me or doesn't it seem like we've been getting an uptick of tourists from Gotham lately?”

He heard Oliver snort. “I'd hardly call them _tourists_ , Barry...”

“You should give Bruce a call,” Barry said, his eyes adjusted enough now to see his husband and son beside him. “Tell him to stop sending them over.”

Oliver gave him an unamused expression. “ _Barry_.”

“Yeah,” the speedster replied. Knowing exactly what the other man wanted, he held out his arms. “Give him to me.”

“Daddy?” Daniel asked, looking between his fathers curiously as he changed hands.

“I'm going to make my way to the base of the statue,” Oliver said.

“Be careful, Ollie,” Barry cautioned as he and his husband gently brushed lips over their son's head. “I'll be back as soon as I can with your things.”

“I'll do my best to stay out of sight till then,” Oliver promised.

“You'd better.”

Barry sensed more than saw Oliver disappear into the crowd. Chaos was beginning to erupt around them in pockets as the Joker began his little monologue—something about the Grinch and how much he was going to enjoy ruining everyone's Christmas. Before his voice had a chance of getting drowned out by collective panic, Barry made sure to lock eyes with his son and spoke his next words calmly.

“ _Hey_ , Danny…!” Barry said with a small smile. “You want to see something cool, huh? Can Daddy show you a little magic trick?”

His son's eyes widened and he nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! Yeah! Show me! Show me!”

“Okay, kiddo,” Barry said with a light laugh. “In ten seconds, we're going to be at Aunt Thea's house!”

“ _Really_ , Daddy?!”

“Yes, really,” Barry said. “I promise. But you're going to have to do something for me, all right? I need you to close your eyes and count to ten. Can you do that for me, son?”

“Okay!” Daniel agreed enthusiastically. “Now?”

“Yeah, right now,” Barry said with a nod.

“Okay!” Daniel said as he covered his eyes with his hands. “One…! Two…! Three…!”

In swift movements, Barry had zipped his son into his jacket and held the boy close to his chest to prevent whiplash as he took off running before the boy had even begun counting. He wooshed into the reacquired Queen mansion, surprising Thea as he set his boy down beside her on the couch, where she had been reading. Barry shook his head as her lips began to form a question.

“Check the news; no time to explain,” Barry said quickly. “Tell Felicity and Cisco that Ollie and I are going to need backup and...”

“...Ten!” Daniel said, bouncing in his seat excitedly, mittens still over his eyes. “Can I open my eyes now Daddy? Can I? Can I?”

“Watch him for us, _please?_ ” Barry asked, his voice taking on an apologetic whine as he looked down to address his son. “Yes, Danny. You can open them now.”

Daniel moved his hands and looked around, his eyes widening in wonder upon seeing Thea sitting beside him, looking just as stunned. “Wow, Daddy! You did it! Magic!”

“That's right son, magic!” Barry said as he pecked Daniel a quick kiss on the forehead. “You be good now, okay? Daddy will be right back.”

And before either his son or Thea could react, Barry zipped out of the room with a gust of wind. Daniel turned his head where his father had been and tilted his head slightly to one side before looking up at Thea in confusion.

“Huh? Where did Daddy go?” Daniel asked

Thea blinked. “Uh...um...”

A million explanations dangled at the tip of her tongue, none favorable—as most of them required her to reveal the identity of one of her nephew's father's identities as The Flash—and so, in a moment of quick thinking on her part, Thea settled for the simplest answer. Recycled, of course, out of convenience.

“Magic, honey,” Thea said with a smile.

“Will he come back?”

“Of course! As long as you're good,” Thea answered.

Her nephew, thankfully, seemed to accept this response. “Yeah. I can do that.”

“Good, good,” Thea said with an approving nod. She kept eye contact with her nephew as she rummaged in her pants pocket for her phone. “Now, how about a game?”

Daniel's face lit up. “Okay!”

“All right. Let's get you up to your playroom,” Thea said as she scooped her nephew up with one hand and began to text Laurel with the other.

 _Call Felicity_ , she wrote. _Barry says he and Ollie are in trouble. Get Team Flash too. I have Danny._

Laurel's response was almost immediate. _We know. On it._

Thea let out a small sigh of relief and put her phone away so she could carry her nephew up the rest of the steps using both arms. She loved Daniel and would protect him with her life, but she hated the fact that she would have to sit this fight out, whatever it was. The boys owed her one.

The matter was taken care of within the hour. The Joker had brought along a few friends and distractions, but it was really nothing that Teams Flash and Green Arrow couldn't handle. Shortly after the excitement died down, Barry and Oliver were back at home, swapping stories with Thea in the atrium after checking in on their sleeping son.

“I'm going to spare _you_ the lecture,” Thea said pointedly at Barry. “Only because I know my brother is going to give you a whole lot of that later, and believe me...I _know_...”

Barry smiled sheepishly at his sister-in-law. “Thanks, Thea...”

“Don't mention it,” Thea said with a dismissive wave before turning on her brother. “As for _you_ on the other hand...”

Oliver crossed his arms and scrunched his nose. “Hey. I told Barry I was completely against the idea of taking our son out.”

“Not the point, Ollie,” Thea said, shaking her head. “You should have at least had one or two of us watching your backs out there today. What if Barry hadn't been able to call for help like he did?”

“To be fair, the team did get to the scene pretty quick,” Barry offered. “Apparently Felicity had been keeping tabs on us anyway, just in case.”

Oliver sighed and pinched at the bridge of his nose. “Not helping, Barry...”

“Exactly! That's absolutely my point!” said Thea. “I don't think it's a bad idea at all to try and give your son normal life experiences, but you two numbskulls really need to be more careful about doing it! Like keeping your friends and family in the loop; not making us have figure out how to do that ourselves!”

“Mm...Dad…? Daddy…?”

At the sound of a tiny and sleepy-sounding voice, the three adults stopped arguing and looked up at the top of the stairs where they saw little Daniel rubbing at his eyes with one hand and holding a rail with the other.

“Why is everybody yelling…?” Daniel asked, a yawn following right after. “Are you guys fighting…?”

The tension dissipated immediately. In an instant, Barry was right by his son, scooping the little boy up in his arms as he began carrying him back to his room.

“No, no, son,” Barry soothed. “We're not fighting at all...let's get you back to sleep now, yeah?”

Daniel nodded tiredly and stretched his arms out as he let out another yawn. “Yeah, a'right...” he mumbled, too tired wonder at how his father could have possibly gotten to the top of the stairs so fast.

His actions, however, did not go unnoticed by everyone that was present. Oliver exchanged a brief glance with Thea and nodded.

“I'll talk to him,” he murmured before jogging lightly up the staircase to catch up with Barry.

He waited until Barry had tucked their son safely into his bed before nuzzling his husband from behind and whispering his warning. “He's a smart kid, Barry. If you're not more discreet, he's going to find out eventually.”

The speedster leaned into Oliver's touch and let out a small sigh as he kept his gaze upon their little boy, watching the rise and fall of their son's chest as he breathed gently. “Yeah, I know, Oll,” he whispered back in response. “Sorry...”

Oliver gave his husband's waist a little squeeze and he pecked Barry lightly against the cheek. “Come on, then,” he said. “It's late. We should get some sleep.”

He felt his husband nod before turning around. “Yeah, sounds good.”

Both men took one last look at their son before quietly padding their way out of the room, closing the door gently shut behind them.

»»---------------»»

Upon reaching his destination, Daniel grinned. There was nothing particularly special about the venue itself; he'd only picked it for the view. He had called in a favor with the son of one of his father's social acquaintances. Much like Oliver, Daniel saw value in making certain political friendships and he definitely acquired a few tricks watching his father in action. Thankfully, he hadn't been around for the man's party years, or he probably wouldn't have been nearly as tactful about the day's arrangement.

When asked what he wanted to rent out the roof of his friend's father's hotel building for, Daniel had lied through his teeth and said it was all part of his plan to impress some girl. Yes, they would need their privacy, and no, they would not need a waiter, special service, and most certainly not a mariachi band. All he asked for was a table, two chairs, and some wine—and even that was just mostly to make sure he wouldn't raise any eyebrows. Sure, there was the possibility of camera surveillance and his friend getting nosy, but that's what he had Uncle Cisco and Aunt Felicity for; they would take care of that. Not to mention he could count on his parents to meet him without being seen. After all, as soon as he hit his teens he had managed to figure out who they were. The way the pair of them had bumbled about, it hadn't taken Daniel long to put the pieces together, and once the picture became clear he couldn't help but wonder how more people didn't know aside from the plenty that already did. He was pretty sure his parents were the worst kept secret identities in all of Central and Star Cities, bringing him to the conclusion that perhaps people just chose not to see what they weren't ready to acknowledge. Perhaps the world wanted to hang on to the few mysteries it could still have.

Daniel was brought out of his thoughts upon feeling a familiar wind at his back, along with the sensation that there was also a presence in the shadows. Daniel's lips quirked at the corners as he turned around to greet his parents.

“Glad you could make it, guys!”

Oliver grunted when his son gave him a hug. Daniel laughed.

“Aw, c'mon, Dad. The view from here's not so bad, right?” he asked. “Far enough away from the crowds, but close enough that we can see the ceremony? I know big gatherings at a time like this can get you antsy.”

His smile grew wider when Barry chuckled. “Kid's got a point, Oll. Definitely your son, by the way.”

“Well, someone's got to have his head on straight,” Oliver said gruffly, but Daniel could tell that his father approved. “No telling what's going to happen on a day like today.”

“You say that _every_ year,” said Barry.

“And every year something happens!” Oliver said, shaking his head. “Like clockwork. I seriously don't understand why you and everyone else in Central City seems to forget that.”

“What can I say? We're an optimistic group of people,” Barry said with a shrug.

“Tell me about it,” Oliver muttered.

“Well, at least we don't have to worry about the crowds here, right guys?” Daniel said cheerily, placing an arm around each of his father's shoulders as they moved to be on either side of him. “And we'll still have a good view of the fireworks from this angle!”

“That's right, Danny!” Barry said with a smile. “Good attitude.”

Oliver shook his head. “Don't encourage him, Daniel. Barry, you're hopeless.”

“Yet you love that about me.”

Oliver rolled his eyes, but Daniel knew his father meant nothing by it. For a moment the three of them stood there in silence, listening to the slightly muted music that drifted their way. After a while, Daniel looked between his parents and he couldn't help the cheeky grin that was forming on his lips.

“So...I see you're both dressed for the occasion.”

He was referring to the fact that both of his fathers were in their vigilante gear. This time, it was Barry who rolled his eyes.

“Your father insists on being prepared.”

“Look, I just don't want a repeat of that first year,” Oliver said before turning to face his son. “And let me tell you, Daniel, every year, there's been _something_. It's like your father's statue attracts trouble.”

“Aw, your dad's just sore they haven't built one of _him_ in Star City yet.”

“That has absolutely nothing to do with it, Barry, and you know it.”

Daniel couldn't help but laugh at the banter between his parents. “Well, anyway, I've got to admit, it is kind of perfect, you know?”

Oliver looked at his son curiously and raised an eyebrow. “Hm? What do you mean?”

“I mean, clearly this is confirmation that you guys are meant to be,” Daniel said, motioning towards the direction of the lighting ceremony and then between his parents. “Annual Christmas thing, you guys being superheroes who happen to have outfits that are red and green. It's like fate, don't you think?”

It took a second for his words to sink in, but when they did, Oliver let out a groan and Barry started laughing. Oliver shook his head at Barry, jabbing his pointer finger in the other man's direction.

“ _Your_ son,” he accused.

“Hey, hey!” Daniel said, smiling at them both. “I think we can all agree that I'm an even fifty-fifty…!”

Before either of his fathers could respond, their attention was diverted by sounds of distress from afar. Both Barry's and Oliver's earpieces crackled to life, and the voices of Cisco and Felicity came through simultaneously.

_“Barry! Are you there?”_

_“Oliver! It's the Suicide Squad.”_

“Goddammit!” Oliver cursed as his eyes narrowed immediately. “I swear, the next time I see Bruce I am going to remind him that we are _not_ a nanny service for his supervillians…!”

“ _Relax_ , Ollie!” Barry said reassuringly. “We've got this. And watch your language in front of Danny.”

Oliver frowned. “He's a _teenager_ , Barr.”

“And we're his parents. We're supposed to set an example,” Barry scolded lightly. “Anyways, I'll meet you there?”

“Do I have a choice?” Oliver grumbled. “Sorry, kid.”

Daniel shook his head. “Nah, don't worry about it, Dad! You guys go and save the day.”

Barry smiled. “We love you, son.”

“Love you guys too!”

Then in a blink, his parents were gone. Daniel couldn't make them both out, but he could definitely see one of his fathers, the Scarlet Speedster, sparking a combination of red, orange, and yellow not too far off in the distance as he and the Green Arrow fought off the latest calamity to befall Central City. He couldn't wait until he could ask for a recap of the showdown later, and if either of his fathers refused, well, there was always Uncle Cisco.

Daniel didn't exhibit any powers like Barry did, but he hoped that one day he could at least become half the warrior that Oliver was, so that he could fight alongside his parents. Whether they would actually let him, of course, was a whole different discussion for a later date. For the time being, he was content to observe what he could from his vantage point, tucked a reasonably safe distance away from the action as he imagined what his fathers probably looked like in that moment, fighting to preserve justice.

He couldn't have been more proud.


End file.
